New Yanks Abroad article is up

Some people feel I've been rough on Bob.

So, I wrote this in his honor...

http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mod ... nt&id=5335

as always, thanks for your support, whether you agree or not.

and GO USA!

 

Thanks for posting the article Kansas. Glad to see someone else is a fan of Marvel. With Dempsey out maybe Torres will get a start.

 

Kansas.

"However, it would set up a very tense rematch with Costa Rica at RFK Stadium, this Saturday."

Um....the Costa Rica game is Wednesday...or at least, that's what my ticket says.

I also have to edit your closing.

Made it to the finals of the Gold Cup with a team of reserve players. Yay Bob!

Made it to the finals of the Confederations Cup, something most teams in FIFA's top 10 have never done. Yay Bob!

Most European teams would be wetting themselves in joy if their team made it the finals of both their Confederation and that of a FIFA tournament.

This is not the US "Dream Team" Olympic basketball team, expected to not only win every game, but do it in style. This is a collection of blue collar journeymen in a nation in which soccer is the 4th sport. Outside of goalkeepers, we don't have a single player good enough to start for a final 8 UEFA Champions League team; we have few good enough to even get considered for the bench for those teams. Have some perspective!

 

Kansas, your article fairly sums up the conundrum many of us have with supporting Bob.

Go Bob, because you're in charge of making sure we get there and do the best that we can, and right now we could use some positive national team news. But, much as we support you (or the team really is who or what we support) right now, get ready for the fallout that is coming afterwards if you don't achieve something special.

I'd say Bob must get USA to the quarterfinals to assuredly secure his future as Head Coach.

 

Is this sentence an attempt at sarcasm?

"I know I've been rough on Bob repeatedly, but God knows I probably wouldn't cut it as a head coach or tactical director for a national team representing a nation as large as the United States, with the resources available to someone in that position."

If not, what are you saying? Having a lot of resouces makes the job harder? The country is too big and Bob doesn't have enough resources? Is it just an attempt at self deprecation? And as Andy pointed out, your dates are wrong. And why reference the U-20s in the title of an article in which you don't reference the U-20s at all? Maybe you're just catching me in a bad mood, but this article is in dire need of an editor.

 

ADDED: Oh.. wait!
This is about BB and the US team. There's no way to know if someone else, say Klinnsmann, could have done it better because the sliders team is busy checking out the geopolitical systems on the otra-earths and doesnt have time to report.
Add to that... weird crap like Robbie Rogers getting picked then immediately going out and playing his worst game as a club starter! I can explain that by way of self imposed pressure but sometimes that doesnt fit in a narrative like this.
- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -

And that's different from the NYT, how?

The basic idea of blogs was originally that the reader did his OWN fact checking. Usually based on linkage. Blogging something is to call attention to an issue or subject.
The thoughtful reader doesnt take any singular opinion as gospel.
- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -

I dont understand BostonCottage's comment on self-referential qualifications. It's only a disclaimer, and serves to indirectly state that the writer may not have all the facts and issues at hand. But how many great baseball writers could manage a team to the World Series?

- - - - -
Facts, though, are facts and sometimes should be left out if there's a question.
Like Don said.. you get what you pay for. Sometimes there's nuggets in the dross and I settle for that... Remember some of those bloggers get paid.

- - -
Speaking of bloggers.. What's worse than blogs, and better at the same cause there's no space to make a fool of yourself?
Twitter: and, on twitter, good source = Grant Wahl

and the real gem:

 

1) I am a professional journalist, not just a simple blogger.

2) Not everything I write will be 100% spot-on. A journalist is like a prize fighter. If I don't bring my A-game every time, it's out there for everyone to scrutinize.

3) I hardly get paid for writing this. I've been unemployed for nearly 19 months and I write for YA out of the love I have for the sport.